stares



(No Model.)

3 sheetssheet 1, N. O. STARKS.

GORN PLANTBR.

Patented Dec. '7, 1886.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. N. 0. STARKS.

CORN PLANTER.

Patented Deo. '7, 1886.

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I l a E 7V TOR Attorney WTJVESSES N PETERS, Phnmmhnqnphnr. washington.D. C.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

N. O. STARKS.

CORN PLANTBR. No. 354,?5 e. Patented Dec. '7, 1886.

WITJVESSES n UNITED STATES PATENT FETCE.

NILS O. STARKS, OF MADISON, IVISOONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE FULLER & JOHNSONMANUFACTURING COMPANY.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No. 354.025, dated December7, 1886.

(No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NILs O. S'rnnks, of Madison. in the county oi' Daneand State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is aperspective View of my improved seed-box and tube for corn-planters,showing portions broken away. Fig. 2 is a top view of the seed-slide anddisk, showing the seed-box and its bottom removed. Fig. 3 is a verticalsectional view on line .fr x, Fig. 2, through the entire box and tube.Fig. Li is a similar view on line i/ y, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview ot' the seed-slide and of its pawls, one pawl being shown removed.Fig. 6 is a similar viewof the dropping mechanism in the seed-tube,showing portions broken away and indicated in dotied lines; and Fig. 7is a partially-sectionized view of the reverse side oi said droppingmechanism.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to that class of seeding-machines in which ahorizontal seeddisk isjournaled in the bottom of the seedbox and engagedby pawls upon a reciprocat-l ing slide, and in which a valve at thelower portion of the seed-tube is alternately tilted to one side or theother by a suitable leverconnection with the slide, and it consists inthe improved construction and combination of parts of such aseeding-machine, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the seed-box,which is secured to the transverse frame-piece 2, having the down-Wardly-projecting bar 3, to which the shoe is secured. A frame orcasting, 4, is secured upon the frame-piece under the seed-box,and isformed with a longitudinal slot, 5, near the side edges, and withupwardly-turned flanges 6 at the edges, the said flanges havingapertures 7 at the ends of the frame for the passage of the slidingframe.

The center of the frame is provided with a circular raised bed, S,having a central perforation, 9, and a stud, 10, lits into thisperforation, projecting downward from the center of t-he seeddisk 11,which revolves with'this ceniral bolt upon the circular bed, and isformed with a number oi' perl'orations or seedcups, 12, which registerwith a perforation, 13, in the bed near the edge of the same.

The bottom 14 oi' the seed-box is retained within the same by means ot'slotted cleats 15, sliding upon screws 16 in the end pieces of the box,and bearing with their ends against Vthe bottom. and this bottom has acentral aperture, 17, of a sutlicient diameter to expose all theseed-cups in the revolving seed-disk.

A tongue, 18, projects obliqnely into this Gentral aperture-from theedge of the saine, and

a bent dat platc,consiituting a scraper or cut- 0H', 19, is pivoted withlaterally projecting lugs at its bend between the inner side'ot' thetongue and the edge ofthe aperture, covering some ofthe seed-cups in thedisk above the discharge-aperture and bearing with its end against theupper side ofthe disk. The other end of the cut-oli" or scraper bearsagainst a coiled spring, 20, inclosed in a casing, 21, upon the bottoni,the spring allowing the scraper or plate to yield to portions oi'a grain80 ol' corn, which might project above a' seedcup as it passes under thescraper, the scraper serving to prevent the cups from being more thanfilled.

The periphery of the seed-disk is provided S5 with a number ot'ratchet-teeth, 22, beveled upon their upper sides toward the obliqueedges of the teeth, and'thcse ratchet-teeth are engaged by pawls 23,pivoted to point in opposite directions upon the inner sides of the sidepieces of the open rectangular frame 2i of the sliding frame.

The frame ofthe slide is provided with two projecting frames, 2G, at itsends, having each a longitudinal rail, 27, at the middle, registeringwith longitudinal rails 28 upon the upper face of the supporting-castingand anti-triction rollers support the slide, being composed of twodisks, 30, connected by a reduced central portion, 81, the rollersstraddling the Ioo rails with the reduced portions and traveling againstthe upper face of the supporting-frame inwardly-projecting lug, 33, atopposite ends of the said side pieces, and lips 34 and 35 proto jectfrom the end pieces of the frame atashort `tilted by each stroke of theslide. `dle of this lever is flattened and formed with distance from theside pieces, forming notches 36 and 37, and the pawls are formed withperforations 38 at ntheir inner ends, with which perforations they fitupon the studs upon the side pieces, and have their inner ends so shapedthat they will catch into the notches in the end pieces of the framewhen tilted downward in their normal position, while they will have tobe raised in an upright position to be lallowed to slip off the studs,the distance between the perforations and the upper edges of the pawlsbeing less than the distance between the perforations and the innerends.

The lowei` edges of the pawls are formed with the shoulders 39, whichengage the ratchetteeth ot the seed-disk,.and may slip over theirbeveled faces with their beveled or inclined edges 40, and at the outerends the pawls are furthermore provided with downwardlyprojecting lugs4l, having tongues 42, engaging the notches at those endsin the endpieces, the said lugs serving to engage the ratchetteeth and to carrythe disk back if the shoulders of the pawls should fail to engage theratchet-teeth and to carry the disk suiiiciently around, so that theshoulders may engage the teeth at the next stroke of the slide. The freeends of the pawls-are provided with laterallyprojecting lips 77, whichrest upon the upper edges of the side pieces of the frames, preventingthe pawls from dropping down too far.

The inner side of one of the side pieces of the slide-frame is providedwith two inwardlyprojecting lugs, 43, between which the outwardly andupwardly bent upper end, 44, of a lever, 45,projects, so that the levermay be The mida perforation, 46,. and with a downwardlyfacing segmentalshoulder, 47, above the per- `foration and concentric with the sarne,andwith respondingly-shaped shoulder of the lever itting against it, andthe side edgesot" the casting are formed with anges 54, bearing againstthe face of the supporting-bar and forming a casing for the lever.Athree-sided box, 55, fits with lips 56 against the sides of the bar,

forming a tube with the face of the bar, inclosing the lever andleading'from the seedaperture of the seed-box, and the lower end of thisbox incloses two upwardly-diverging ilanges or\walls, 57, upon the edgesof the outer face of the'casting, near the lower end of the same,

and the lower ends of these flanges are formed with diverging, portions58, forming parts of a cylinder. The lower end ofthe casting is formedwith an outwardly-projecting stud, 59, having a notch, 60, in its end,and with an inwardly-extending circular casing or box, 6l, ,having aslot, 62, in its upper s'ide, through whichthe lower end of the leverprojects, the said lower end being provided with cogs 63.

The lower end of the three-sided box is formed with an aperture, 64, inits outer side, extending from the lower end of the said side, and a lidor cover, 65, is secured over the said aperture and over the lowerportion of the casing formed by the cylindrical diverging walls and bythe stud, bearing with an inwardly-projecting lip, 66, at its lowerpointed end into the notch in the end of the stud.

The cover is formed with an aperture, 67, in its 'upper portion, havingits-edges recessed upon the inner side, and a glass plate, 68, tits intothese recessed edges, covering the aperture. A screw-bolt, 69, passesthrough a perforation in the cover and through an aperture, 70, in thecenter ot' the bottom of the circular casing of the casting, into thesupportingbar, securing the cover and the casting to the said bar., anda valve, 7l, is pivoted with a central IOC perforation.72, upon thesmooth portion of this bolt. This valve consists of a portion,73,forming a cylinder-sector, which portion may iit with its cylindricalouter side against leither of the cylindrical walls or iianges at thelower end of the seed-tube, and the lower portion of the valveis formedby two diverging curved wings, 74, which form seed-cups between them andthe'sides of the sector-shaped portion. The inner side of the valve isprovided with a cogged segment, 75, projecting into the circular casingand meshing with the cogged lower end oll the lever.

It will now be seen that as the sliding frame isreeiprocated theseed-disk will be revolved for each stroke of the slide, one pawlengaging a ratchet-tooth at one side at one stroke and the pawl upon theopposite side engaging a tooth upon that side at the'back-stroke. andthe disk will be moved forward at each stroke the space of one seed-cup,the number of seedf cups inthe disk being twice ,the number ot' theratchet-teeth. The sliding frame will rock the lever which operates thevalve in the lower end of the seed-tube, and this valve will be rockedat each stroke, so as to bring one cup facing up in the tube andreceiving the corn dropped from the seed-cup in the disk, while theother cup of the valve will be tilted down,

dropping the corn.

The under side of thesliding frameis formed with suitable stops or`concave shoulders, 76,

at its ends, for the purpose of stopping the rollers at the end of eachstroke as they travel between the slide and the frame.

It will be seen that the pawls may be removed froni their studs bysimply raising them and thereupon sliding them oft' the studs, and thatthey may be placed upon the studs in the same manner, so that it willrequire no tools or complicated fitting to remove or insert a pawl incase one or both of the pawlsshould break or become worn,the pawls beinginserted in the same shape in which they are removed from their molds.

rIhe rollers will cause the sliding frame to reciprocate easily, andwill prevent its being obstructed by dust from the corn, as the rollerswill travel over obstructions and push them aside,over which a slidingsurface could not travel without considerable frictional resistance. Thepivotal stu'i for the seed-disk. projecting into a perforation in thebottom plate or fraaie. will prevent the Said perforation and stud frombecoming clogged by dust, as is liable to happen if the disk isjourualed with a central perforation upon a stud projecting from thebottom plate, as seed-disks generally are pivoted.

All the moving and meeting faces of the movable portions of the leverand valve in the seed-tube are covered in such a manner that dirt l'romthe seed cannot obstruct the said surfaces, the segmental shoulder ofthe lever bearing against the segmental upper edge of the casting in thelower end of the seedtube, and the cogged end ot' the lever and the cogsot' the valve being inclosed iu the circular casing.

The downwardly-projecting lugs upon the outer ends of the pawls orlatches of the slid ing frame will serve to draw the seed disk back byengaging the ratchet-teeth on the back-stroke if the forward stroke hasfailed to carry the disk the kdesired distance forward, enabling thepawl to carry the disk around at the next stroke.

Having thus described my invention,I claim and desire. to secure byLetters Patent of the United Statesl. The combinatiomwith the slidingframe, whose side pieces are provided with notches 36 and 37 and lugs83,01 the pawls formed with lips 77 and pert'orations 3S, the distancebetween the perlorations and the upper edges of said pawls being lessthan the distance between said perforatious and the inner ends of thepawls, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the rotary seeddisk provided with ratchet-teeth22 and the sliding frame, of the pawls 23, pivoted to the side piecesot` said frame and provided with shoulders 39, and the tongue-bearinglugs 4,1, to operate substantially as set forth.

3. In a seeding-machine, the combination of a casting at the lower endof the seed-tube, formed with diverging cylindrical walls or angesfacing downward, and having a circular casing below the lianges in itsinner side concentric with the flanges and open in its upper side, alever pivoted to the cast-ing and having its upperend engaged andreciprocated by the sliding frame, and having its lower end providedwith cogs, and a valve pivoted upon a bolt in the center of the circularcasing and having a cogged segment projecting into that casing andengaging the cogsof the lever, and having a portion shaped as acylinder-sector alternately bearing against the cylindrical walls` andcurved wings forming seed-cu ps be tweenthem and the sector-shapedportion, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

4. In a seeding.- machine, the combination ot' the shoesupporting bar, athree sided casing covering the rear side ofthe said bar and forming atube with it, having the lower end of its outer side cut away, a castingsecured upon the rear Side ofthe bar within the casing and having itsupper edge segmental, and having a central stud upon its rear side andtiauges at the edges ot' its rear side,and a perforation helow the stud,and formed with upwardly-diverging walls at the edges ot' its outerface, continued into diverging cylindrical lianges at their lowerends,and with a circular casing at its lower cnd,t`ormed with its upperside open, and an outwardly-projecting stud below the g5 casing, a leverengaged and reciprocated at its upper end by the seed-slide and pivotedupon the stud ot' the casting, having a segmental shoulder bearingagainst the segmental upper edge of the casting and a segmental slotbelow 10o the stud and having a cogged lower end, a cover having a plateof glass inserted in its upper portion and fitted over the cutawayportion ot' the seed-tube, having a bolt passing through it into theshoe supporting bar 105 and a tongue upon its lower end engaging a notchin the stud at the lower end ot' the casting, and a cylindrical valvehaving seed-clips in its periphery and a segmental rack upon its innerside engaging the cogs of the lever 11o within the circular casing,being journaled upon 'the bolt securing the cover, as and for thepurpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature 115 in presence of two witnesses.

NILS O. STARKS.

Vitnesses:

A. E. PROUDFIT, J. H. NrcnoLs.

